Charles Darwin is one of the most respected and famous scientists who ever lived. Despite suffering illness for most of his adulthood, Darwin managed to produce a huge collection of scientific papers, books and letters. These were all based on the natural world. Most well-known for the theory of evolution, Charles discovered how animals fit and adapt to their surroundings.

Charles Darwin, 1809 – 1882

Early life

Born in Shropshire — Shrewsbury — Charles was born on 12th February 1809. As they were a wealthy family, Darin lived in a big house called ‘The Mount’. His mum — Susannah — died when he was only eight in 1817. His father — Robert — was very wealthy doctor. In paintings he was shown wearing red and in a leather chair. Not only that, he could afford to pay for a painting. In his painting, he was sitting in a very powerful pose, implying that he was head of the house. Darwin and four sisters and one brother. He often went down to the shed with his brother and best friend, Erasmus, to create different potions and investigations. This is how Charles got his nickname ‘Gas’ at school. One of his sisters was called Catherine and one of Darwin’s earliest memories was when she was peeling an orange and a cow went past and made him jump. He was cut by the peeler and left with a scar on his leg for the rest of his life.

School life

Darwin went to a grammar school that was a boarding school. This was probably good as his father was a single dad; life would have been very hard for him with six children. In 1812, Charles left home for school until 1825. His father then wanted him to study medicine at University, but Darwin hated the sight of blood so didn’t want to do it. When his father found out about his hatred for blood, he decided that Charles should become a vicar. He sent him to Christ’s College in Cambridge in the hope that he would pursue the idea of being a vicar. As — once again — he was not interested, he continued studying natural history at home and continued his collection of thousands of beetles. Also, he became president of the Glutton Club. At this club, they ate multiple unusual animals to find out what they tasted like. Darwin’s least favourite was a tawny owl which he described as ‘stringy’.